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We love our jobs at SaferVPN, but some people might not be so lucky. Maybe it’s your stuffy cubicle, maybe it’s the endless meetings, or maybe the same old routine you’ve had for 15 years is finally wearing on your nerves.

If we’ve accurately described your feelings about work, it may be time to turn over a new leaf. Believe it or not, that’s never been easier to do. Millions of people all across the world are embracing the new “digital nomad” lifestyle – i.e., working remotely from any location they choose.

It’s not 1962 anymore. Now, it’s realistic to envision working on the beach in a far-flung location like Thailand. Or picture trading your expensive urban apartment for a quiet low-rent existence in the countryside. If you can turn your office job into a remote career, your possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Obviously, the key part of working remotely is getting the work – either with your existing job or by picking up freelance projects. If you’re in a position to do so, it’s definitely not out of the ordinary to start telecommuting from your home – or wherever you choose.

Once you’ve gotten the work, it’s important to make sure your link to the “office” – your Internet connection – is always secure. It’s also important to make sure you use smart browsing habits to keep the important work you do online from falling into the wrong hands!

10 Online Security Tips to Consider

1. Be careful about your sensitive information

In the course of working remotely, you’re going to have to send sensitive information from time to time. Your work email or file sharing software may be encrypted, but it might not be. Without a VPN protecting everything you do online, it’s hard to be sure that any site or app you’re using at any given time is actually encrypted. (And even if you’re on top of your online security game, you also don’t know whether the person on the other end of your email thread is as well.)

The best thing to do if you have something extra sensitive to share over an unsecured connection? Go old school and pick up the phone.

2. Don’t click phishing links

Wait, who clicks something that looks like a phishing link?! Exactly.

Phishing links are dangerous URLs disguised in a way that makes them look legitimate. You may think you’re going to read a salacious news story or receive an important file. But instead, that tempting-looking link may send you to a site that steals your personal accounts or installs malware on your computer.

The best thing to do if you receive a link in an email or on social media that looks questionable is to double-check the URL. You can do this by right-clicking the hyperlink, left-clicking “Copy link address” and pasting the URL into a separate word processing program. If the URL is spelled strangely or has a shortened address (like bit.ly), think twice about proceeding.

3. Double-check email addresses

Email “spoofing” is when hackers make their email addresses look like ones you trust. Once they’ve got you in a conversation, the goal is to get you to click a phishing link or just inadvertently give away information you’d never give to a stranger – work secrets, credit cards, password information, etc.

Always double-check the email addresses you correspond with to make sure they’re spelled right. If a conversation you’re having is going in a strange direction and/or someone you know is pressing you for sensitive information, give them a call to make sure you’re actually talking with them.

4. Watch out for fake “password recovery” emails

We all have to reset our passwords from time to time – whether we’re trying to stay secure or we just forgot our login credentials. You should know, you’ll never receive a legitimate password reset email or link from anyone if you didn’t specifically request it. When in doubt about a password reset email, don’t divulge any information. Instead, request a new reset a few hours later and secure your account then.

You should also note that if you’re on a public connection and someone is watching you make a password reset request, it’s not hard for them to send you a fake reset email as you wait for the real one. Make sure you encrypt your web traffic where possible so people can’t snoop on you!

5. Don’t use strange USB devices

As part of working remotely, you still may have to meet up with people from time to time – the horror! At the end of a meeting or conference, you might get a flash drive that either contains files you need or is just a keepsake. But unless you trust the person giving it to you, it’s not advisable to plug it into your USB port. It may contain malware or other executable (.exe) files that will compromise your computer and all the data on it.

You might also find an “abandoned” USB device at your local coffee shop or library. If you can’t find the person to whom it belongs, toss it in the trash. These kinds of “found” flash drives are almost always a scam of some kind to hack your computer.

6. Beware unsecured “http” websites

There’s usually no harm in just browsing unsecured websites. But if you’re about to make a purchase, send a message or download a file, you definitely should check whether the website you’re on is encrypted or not. You can do this by examining the full URL of the website. If the prefix is “https”, it’s encrypted. If it’s the classic “http”, you’re vulnerable – and should not send any information you don’t want a stranger to see.

7. Be careful with public computers

We don’t recommend doing work on a shared computer. You don’t know whether or not it’s recording what you’re doing, sharing your screen with someone else, or capturing your passwords. If you absolutely have to use a public computer, limit what you do to the bare necessities – and definitely remember to log out when you’re done.

8. Be careful on public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is a great resource for people embracing the digital nomad lifestyle, but it’s also fraught with dangers for the unsuspecting web user. At any hotspot, the person who owns the router could be capturing your information. If the network isn’t encrypted, a hacker could be scanning data transfers and capturing sensitive information like credit cards, passwords and emails. You could even be connecting to an “evil twin” network with the same name as one you expect to find – but which belongs to a cybercriminal.

Fortunately, with a VPN, even the most unsecured public Wi-Fi network will become a fully encrypted connection.

9. Download a good antivirus

If you click the wrong link or download the wrong file, your communications may be compromised – AND you might lose your entire computer or device. (Even a VPN won’t protect you in this case.)

To protect yourself, download a high-quality antivirus software and make sure it’s always running in the background. It usually doesn’t cost a thing – and might save you hundreds of dollars in computer maintenance fees, not to mention time and earnings lost from not working.

10. Get a VPN

A VPN won’t completely protect you, but it’ll go a long way towards solving most of your online security problems. With a VPN like SaferVPN, you’ll get an anonymous IP address, and 256-bit bank-level encryption of all of your online activity. That means no one will be able to look in on what you’re doing online; it’ll be gibberish to cybercriminals.

Sign up for SaferVPN

Bottom line: To be a successful digital nomad, you’ll need a secure web connection. For just $2.99 a month (for a 2 Year Plan), SaferVPN will give you a higher level of online security – no matter where you are in the world.